The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa Bk. 4 eBook

and threatened as I had been with disaster and danger,
it is through thy prowess that I have not succumbed
to the foe.’ Then Yudhishthira again addressed
the Matsyas, saying, ’Well-pleased are we with
the delightful words that thou hast spoken. Mayst
thou be ever happy, always practising humanity towards
all creatures. Let messengers now, at thy command,
speedily repair into the city, in order to communicate
the glad tidings to our friends, and proclaim thy
victory.’ Hearing these words of him, king
Matsya ordered the messengers, saying, ’Do ye
repair to the city and proclaim my victory in battle.
And let damsels and courtesans, decked in ornaments,
come out of the city with every kind of musical instruments.’
Hearing this command uttered by the king of the Matsyas,
the men, laying the mandate on their head, all departed
with cheerful hearts. And having repaired to
the city that very night, they proclaimed at the hour
of sunrise the victory of the king about the city-gates.”

SECTION XXXV

Vaisampayana said, “When the king of the Matsyas,
anxious of recovering the kine, had set out in pursuit
of the Trigartas, Duryodhana with his counsellors
invaded the dominions of Virata. And Bhishma and
Drona, and Karna, and Kripa acquainted with the best
of weapons, Aswatthaman, and Suvala’s son, and
Duhsasana, O lord of men, and Vivingsati and Vikarna
and Chitrasena endued with great energy, and Durmukha
and Dussaha,—­these and many other great
warriors, coming upon the Matsya dominion speedily
drove off the cowherds of king Virata and forcibly
took away the kine. And the Kauravas, surrounding
all sides with a multitude of cars, seized sixty thousands
of kine. And loud was the yell of woe set up
by the cowherds smitten by those warriors in that terrible
conflict. And the chief of the cowherds, greatly
affrighted speedily mounted on a chariot and set out
for the city, bewailing in affliction. And entering
the city of the king, he proceeded to the place, and
speedily alighting from the chariot, got in for relating
(what had happened). And beholding the proud
son of Matsya, named Bhuminjaya, he told him everything
about the seizure of the royal kine. And he said,
’the Kauravas are taking away sixty thousand
kine. Rise, therefore, O enhancer of the kingdom’s
glory, for bringing back thy cattle. O prince,
if thou art desirous of achieving (the kingdom’s)
good set out thyself without loss of time. Indeed,
the king of the Matsyas left thee in the empty city.
The king (thy father) boasteth of thee in court, saying,
“My son, equal unto me, is a hero and is the
supporter of (the glory of) my race. My son is
a warrior skilled in arrows and weapons and is always
possessed of great courage.”—­Oh, let
the words of that lord of men be true! O chief
of herd-owners, bring thou back the kine after vanquishing
the Kurus, and consume thou their troops with the terrific
energy of thy arrows. Do thou like a leader of